For MLB players, baseball is a way of life. They only imagine themselves playing, and so far, it has been enough not only to have fun in the process, but also, to put food on their families’ table. They don’t want to do anything else other than play the game, but they also want to protect their loved ones. That’s why some New York Yankees‘ players will leave their families behind as they rejoin the team for the short season.
After months of failed negotiations between the MLB and the players association, the league had to mandate a 60-game season that will start in late July. However, the common enemy still isn’t going away: coronavirus is actually spiking in some crucial states where baseball will be played this year.
Brendan Kuty of NJ.com explained how several members of the New York Yankees team will opt to travel to New York without the support and love of their families to protect them from the virus. For example, relief pitcher Zack Britton and his wife Courtney decided that it would be best if she and the kids stayed home in Texas when the lefty reports to the Yankees.
“It could be three months before I see my kids,†he said to NJ.com.
Yankees’ backup catcher feels the same way
Catcher Kyle Higashioka is in a similar situation. His wife Alyse will stay home in Oregon for a while, then fly to “join me at the at some point down the line. But I’m heading out alone first.â€
Training camps will open next week, on July 1st.
“A lot of players feel the same way,†Britton said. “A lot of guys are going to go for an extremely long time without seeing their kids and obviously it’s not fun. A lot of people in other professions are in the same boat as us, but it doesn’t make it any easier.â€
On Wednesday, some states, including New York, issued a travel advisory saying that if they come from states with high rates of COVID-19, they should quarantine for two weeks. The New York Yankees and Mets would be exempt, per Gov. Andrew Cuomo.